Concert: Middle School/Junior High Girls' Honor Choir, Waukee High School A Cappella Choir, Concordia Singers, Utah State University Chamber Singers in the Salt Lake Tabernacle

This concert took place on Saturday evening and began with the Middle School/Junior High Girls' Honor Choir, conducted by Elena Sharkova.  After observing this group's final rehearsal on Saturday morning, I was beyond excited to see their performance, and rightly so.  It was absolutely phenomenal.  The honor choir's set included an incredibly wide variety of musical styles, including classical, country, folk, and gospel pieces from many different countries.  I personally experienced many profound emotions during this performance.  Will Todd's "The Call of Wisdom" had me in tears.  There was great excitement in the room when the choir premiered "Gloria in Excelsis" by the same composer.  Their performance of the South Indian Folk Song "Bedu Pako Baramasana" involved traditional Indian dance and featured an incredible young soloist, leaving the audience in awe.  The next piece, "Goza mi Calipso" by Albert Hernandez, had everyone moving to the beat.  The entire choir danced, and they were joined by several percussionists.  Ms. Sharkova exchanged her conductor's baton for a pair of maracas and led the dance!  For the next piece, "Banjo Pickin' Girl" by Andrea Ramsey and Tim Sharp, a banjo player joined the group on the stage, several of the girls put on cowgirl hats, and the whole ensemble had a blast.  The final piece was a gorgeous gospel medley, and the girls performed it with passion and loads of energy.  It was a spectacular performance, one that all in attendance are sure to remember.  What an incredible experience for those girls!

Next up was the Waukee High School A Cappella Choir, conducted by Amy Voorhees-Hall.  They performed a variety of pieces from many different cultures.  They closed with Jake Runestad's "Nyon, Nyon," which they performed with wild choreography.  This choir left the audience in a great mood!

The Concordia Singers of the Nittany Valley Children's Choir were led by Sarah Shafer, the daughter of the ensemble's regular conductor.  This group of young singers was so focused and driven throughout their performance.  They were well-rehearsed, and it showed in their beautiful sound.  They premiered a very interesting piece called "The Hall" by Joseph Gregorio, and I found their performance to be quite moving.  It was inspiring to hear such skilled young musicians!

The last group to perform was the Utah State University Chamber Singers, conducted by Cory Evans.  Their set included classical, spiritual, and sacred music.  There were solo parts in several of the pieces, all of which were performed with gorgeous expression.  It was a great end to a fantastic concert!

-Juliana Child, Ithaca College '18